Albert "Al" H. Bruner

Albert Harrell Bruner, 96, also known as Al, Dad, Granddaddy, and Morfar, passed away Tuesday, February 10, 2026. He was born almost a century ago on May 20, 1929, in Montgomery, AL.

By the time Al attended Sidney Lanier High School, he was working part-time at a furniture store in downtown Montgomery, selling and repairing short-range and long-range console radios. He was always interested in electronics and technology and was able to learn and change with the times. He was a ham radio operator and helped with emergency operations in Decatur. From an early age, he loved photography and had a darkroom in Pensacola.

Al attended the University of Alabama, majoring in chemistry. He met Margaret “Peggy” Kropp at the Wesley Foundation in Tuscaloosa and they became true partners in life. They began their married life on June 5, 1950. They never missed watching an Alabama football game (and usually wore crimson to church the next day.) Al served as president of the University of Alabama Alumni Association in Decatur.

He worked in research and development at chemical plants in Anniston and Decatur, and in 1965, was transferred to Pensacola where he was active in church and community affairs. He was on the board of directors for the local blood bank and served as a leader at St. Mark United Methodist Church for many, many years. Al retired early and then continued to serve the Methodist church in a district-wide capacity.

As a scientist, he was always learning and experimenting. He learned to fly, loved to travel, and taught his children and grandchildren how to problem-solve.

Al is preceded in death by his parents, Albert L. Bruner and Nettie Harrell Bruner; brother, William D. Bruner; brother-in-law, Karl Kropp; sisters-in-law, Mary Bruner and Laura Kropp; as well as daughter-in-law, Rebecca Bruner.

Survivors include his wife of 75 years, Margaret “Peggy” Bruner; children, Linda Enfinger (Floyd), Catherine Matthews (Richard), Bert Bruner, and Richard Bruner (Cynthia); grandchildren, Margaret Pace (Cole), Grant Enfinger (Michelle), Spencer Matthews (Thailor), Valerie Bolster (Ryan), Kendall Matthews (Josh Glovac), and Karl Bruner; as well as 10 great-grandchildren. All of them carry a part of Al’s caring and generous heart, investigative mind, and his calm presence.

A Visitation will be held 10:30am until a Funeral Service begins at 11:30am Wednesday, February 18, 2026, at St. Mark United Methodist Church, Pensacola, FL, with Rev. Dan Baughman officiating. Interment will follow at Bayview Memorial Park, Pensacola, FL.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to St. Mark United Methodist Church, Pensacola, FL.

“Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” - Matthew 25-40